


Did It All For The Comments

by Denois



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Drama, Getting Together, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Pining, a little meta, post 4.8, tiniest bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 03:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17236199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denois/pseuds/Denois
Summary: Dex looked up as Nursey walked into his bungalow and through to the bedroom before flopping on Dex’s bed.“They hate me, Dexy.”It was a good thing that Dex had stood up and followed Nursey, because he was speaking directly into the comforter. “No one hates you, Nurse.”“Lies! You hate me. And they hate me.” Nursey turned his head so that he could glare at Dex.Dex rolled his eyes in response. “To be fair to me, my door was locked, deadbolted even, and you still managed to stroll in here.”





	Did It All For The Comments

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [Draskireis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/draskireis) for beta reading.
> 
> This fic is thanks to the fact that per 2.8, in universe RPF of Jack/Kent exists and the 18+ discord server helped me decide that Nursey definitely wrote it and Dex (with his long standing crush on the Zimmerbooty) definitely read it. Also, thanks to the 18+ Discord for helping me brainstorm AO3 names for Dex and Nursey.

Dex looked up as Nursey walked into his bungalow and through to the bedroom before flopping on Dex’s bed.

“They hate me, Dexy.”

It was a good thing that Dex had stood up and followed Nursey, because he was speaking directly into the comforter. “No one hates you, Nurse.”

“Lies! You hate me. And they hate me.” Nursey turned his head so that he could glare at Dex.

Dex rolled his eyes in response. “To be fair to me, my door was locked, deadbolted even, and you still managed to stroll in here.”

Nursey stared at him for a minute and then looked towards the door that he’d entered a few moments ago and back to Dex. “Oh shit. I’m sorry, Dexy. I didn’t… I don’t…..” he trailed off, looking between Dex and the door again.

Dex waved it off. He could only get so annoyed at Nursey before it just didn’t matter anymore. “Yeah. Your magical powers function around annoying me. Because of course they do. Why do you think someone hates you?”

“They hate my writing, Dexy. They think it’s shit. They don’t like it and they don’t want to read it and no one will ever read anything I write ever.” Somehow, he managed to deflate even more onto Dex’s bed. 

Dex nudged Nursey until he moved over enough that Dex could sit on the bed. It was his bed, after all. “You’re catastrophizing.”

“Big word for a computer guy.”

“SATs. And you know I’m right. Plenty of people love your writing. Loads of people want to read your writing. Some people might think your writing is shit, but they suck anyway.”

He thought he saw a small smile where Nursey was pressing his face into the blanket again. He decided to push it.

“Who hates your writing? Your critique group? Want me to rough them up? I can take them. They’re all weak from drinking overpriced coffee with fancy syrups in dark bars.”

Nursey finally rolled enough to flop on his back. “You don’t fight, Dex. People think you do. I thought you did, but I’ve got you figured out. You’re all bark, no bite.”

Dex shrugged. “If you want me to, I’ll fight ‘em.” 

“Nah. Wasn’t them anyway.” He lifted a hand and waved it around. “Stupid people on AO3.”

“AO3?” Dex felt like his shirt was getting tighter around his throat, even though that was impossible. He slid his phone out of his pocket while keeping a careful eye on Nursey.

“Archive of our own. It’s a place to post fanfic. Or art, I guess. Podfics. Just, fan made content.” He sounded slightly less morose while explaining AO3, so Dex didn’t feel the need to tell him that he was fully aware of what it was.

“And, someone left mean messages there?” He silently cursed the signal strength in the basement and switched over to WiFi before pulling up a browser to sign in to AO3. 

He was sure he hadn’t gotten any notifications that Nursey had posted something new…. But it wouldn’t be the first time that notifications were delayed or went to a different folder. And he had been pretty busy with projects and games the last few weeks. 

“No. Worse. The opposite.”

Dex paused and looked up from his phone. “They left nice messages?”

“Are you mocking me?” Nursey tilted his chin up to glare at Dex upside down.

“Uh….”

“Yes! They left nice messages. Every single fic I’ve ever written. Long, thought out, beautiful comments. Even my Jarse a/b/o fic I wrote when I was 14 back on LiveJournal! SoftHandWoody was my soulmate but they have abandoned me. They hate me.” Nursey lifted his arms, apparently just so that he could flop them dramatically back onto the bed. 

Dex pulled up the lastest of BigD_SmallWorld’s fics and quickly scrolled to the bottom to comment. “Your soulmate? Really?”

“Yes, Dexter. When I moved from LiveJournal to AO3, they kept following my fics and commenting. There were times I wanted to quit writing and didn’t because of their comments. There were times.… There were some bad times at Andover, ok, and frog year here even, but then I’d get a notification that SoftHandWoody left me a comment and it helped. Especially in college. They understand my soul. I always get a comment on an old fic after one of our fights, or a bad loss.”

Dex finished typing and hit done before nonchalantly sliding the phone under his leg. “Doesn’t sound like the kind of person that would just abandon you.”

“They did. They hate me. I bet they don’t even rec my fics on Tumblr.” Nursey rolled back over and propped his chin on his hands, the better to pout at Dex.

Dex rolled his eyes. “Not everyone has Tumblr.”

“You don’t have Tumblr. My soulmate definitely has Tumblr.”

Dex sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Nurse. I can try to find the person and beat them up for letting you down. I can remind you that your writing is amazing and I’m sure that your fanfic is too. I can tell you that it’s really weird to think about you writing Jarse a/b/o now that we know Jack and Parse.” He stopped and shrugged. “Like you said. I’m not your soulmate, so there’s not much I can do to help.”

He didn’t want to be mean, but Nursey had just made it perfectly clear. He’d never see Dex as soulmate material. Not even boyfriend material. Dex had thought he’d come to terms with that. Really, he had. Being friends with Nursey was great, especially when they didn’t share a room and he could get just a little space to breathe. 

He couldn’t even really blame Nursey for the awkwardness between them. He’d been closed off and confrontational when he first arrived, expecting the team to be like his high school team. And honestly, like every other college he toured, and every one they’d played. Things were getting better, and then they moved into a room together and it all fell apart. Because Dex accidentally saw Nursey’s screen when he left his computer open to go get pie. Because Dex found out that Nursey was BigD_SmallWorld.

Nursey’s face seemed to fall and he nodded sadly. 

“You don’t have to go. I mean. I should probably finish my homework, but I’m not like kicking you out. I just. What do you want from me, Nurse?” Dex stared down at his hands. He wanted to be what Nursey wanted, but he wasn’t. 

Dex looked up when Nursey’s phone chirped and he maneuvered around the bed again. This time, sitting up with his legs crossed, mirroring Dex. Nursey stared at his phone for a few long moments before slowly lifting his gaze to meet Dex’s. 

Dex shifted and looked away. “What?”

“SoftHandWoody.” 

“Yeah, you mentioned them.” Dex flicked his eyes towards Nursey and back away.

“They’re you.”

“Don’t be absurd, Nurse. You just said that they’re your soulmate. They can’t be me.” Dex was having a hard time resisting the urge to pull the neck of his t-shirt away from his throat.

“You’re them.”

Dex just made a disbelieving noise, unable to come up with a firm argument.

“I complained that they hadn’t commented on my recent work. And then you messed with your phone, where you thought I couldn’t see, and then I got a notification of a comment from SoftHandWoody saying that they were sorry they missed the notification for my new work because they’d been busy, but they were looking forward to reading it tonight.”

Dex shrugged. “Ok? Coincidences happen.”

“It continues to say that they know it will be great, because all my stuff is great and anyone who thinks otherwise sucks, and they’ll beat them up.”

“More than one person can be willing to fight for your fics’ honor, Nurse.”

Nursey’s eyes narrowed. “And there it is. ‘You’re the best, Nurse.’ So, if you aren’t SoftHandsWoody, how do they know my name?”

“Fuck.” Dex fell back against his pillows and the wall, pulling his phone out to pull up the comment and edit it. The jig was up, but he wasn’t going to leave Nursey’s name out there either. 

“How long?”

Dex paused and looked up from his phone with his brow drawn down in confusion. “I mean, I’ve always been SoftHandWoody. Made the name for LiveJournal when I was 12. I assume you’ve always been BigD_SmallWorld.”

“How long have you known. Since we got here? Since the prospect tour? Since before?”

“Whoa! For like a month? Maybe? Maybe less.”

Nursey was still looking at him with narrowed eyes, so Dex put his phone down and sat up straighter. “We were still sharing a room. Your left your computer on and signed in to AO3 while you went down to get pie or something. I happened to see. I didn’t even mean to look at your screen. It just kind of happened. And then….” Dex trailed off as he felt strangled again.

“And then? You thought you’d keep stringing me along?”

“How was I stringing you along? All I knew was that this nameless faceless person whose fic had gotten me through a lot of shit and who I was at least half in love with was actually not nameless and faceless but instead my best friend and line partner who also happened to be my wicked hot roommate. It was a little stressful. So no. I didn’t say anything.”

“But I just told you they were my soulmate.”

Dex stood up and closed his eyes. “They were. The nameless, faceless commenter. Not Dex. Not Will. It’s fine. I’ve, I’ve gotta go.” 

Dex was to the door of the bungalow before Nursey called out. “Will, wait!” It was followed immediately by a thud and a groan, so Dex hurried back into the bedroom to find Nursey laying on the floor, tangled in Dex’s comforter. 

He instantly dropped to his knees and started checking Nursey for injury and trying to make sure Nursey’s arm wasn’t any worse off. “You _just_ got off concussion protocol….”

Nursey waved his hands away. “I’m fine. I’m fine. Come here.”

Dex furrowed his brow as he helped Nursey sit up. 

“Ok, better. Now, can I kiss you?”

Dex stared at him in shock. “Ok.”

Nursey smiled and pulled him in close. “You’re my goddamn soulmate.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumbls still at [SexyDexyNurse](https://sexydexynurse.tumblr.com).
> 
> Please know that I am secretly Nursey in this fic and I live only due to kudos and comments. If you rec my fic, I'll probably adopt you or something.


End file.
